Writing is one of the most complex processes we ask students to do during the school day. As stated by MacArthur (2009) writers need to "set goals, integrate the many cognitive and social processes involved, and monitor their own success." When we ask a student to write we are expecting them to:
Generate an idea
Sequence or order their ideas
At times orally explain their ideas
Put those ideas into grammatically correct sentences.
Remember the letter names that spell each word in the sentence.
Form the letters with correct sizing, spacing, and orientation.
Revise their writing
Edit their writing for punctuation, grammar, etc...
Have stamina for writing for longer periods of time
MacArthur (2009) attributes the following characteristics about writing for students whose learning disabilities consists of “less knowledge about writing, less skill with language, substantial difficulties with spelling and handwriting, and less effective strategies for writing." When looking at samples of LD student's writing, the reader will notice misspelled words, sentences lacking detail, haphazard organization, and shorter pieces. As stated by Harris and Graham (2012) when students with LD write there is "little effort is made to evaluate or rework these ideas...or the organization of the text. The resulting composition is generally a list of topic related ideas rather than a coherent discussion..."(P.406).
Unfortunately over the years writing instruction centered around product, rather then process. In Because Writing Matters by the National Writing Project & Nagin (2003) writing was “product centered and print based; that is, it focused on the finished exemplar of student work (P. 6).” Even many students with LD have come to believe that writing is making the paper look neat or having everything spelled correctly. Santangelo, Harris & Graham (2007), reported that “when asked to describe good writing, students with learning disabilities responded, “Spell every word right,” “Write as neat as you can," “Put your date and name on there,” and “Be sure to hold your pencil right” (P.3).
This is an alarming view of the writing process given that Hillocks (1995) views writing as an inquiry “process of digging through superficial abstraction to get at the details that reveal the meaning of experience, not only to the reader but to the writer.’ (P. 11). Writing is so much more then punctuation, paragraphs, and pretty words. Rather it is a way in by which writers communicate with the world and with others. The National Commission on Writing in their report The Neglected "R", (2003) eloquently describes this shift from product to process, "While exercises in descriptive, creative, and narrative writing help develop students’ skills, writing is best understood as a complex intellectual activity that requires students to stretch their minds, sharpen their analytical capabilities, and make valid and accurate distinctions" (P. 51).Writing has moved beyond the rigid model of draft, revise, edit, repeat. Writing “requires students to move beyond rote learning and simply reproducing information, facts, dates, and formulae (National Writing Project & Nagin. P. 23). In their groundbreaking work Flower and Hayes (1981) describe writing as a cognitive process in which students fluidly move throughout the stages of the writing process. A student will revise while writing, not write a complete draft and then go back to revise their writing.
What implications does writing instruction have for students with learning disabilities? If writing is an inquiry process, based on cognitive processing, and rooted in codifying oral language; the question remains how do we address the needs of students who have difficulty with cognitive processing and language in general? To address these issues, I would suggest two different approaches that supplement writing instruction in the classroom. These two approaches , SRSD and sentence combining, are researched validated methods proven to produce results in students with LD. The following pages will examine these processes and strategies as well as offer suggestions for classroom application.
Writing is one of the most complex processes we ask students to do during the school day. As stated by MacArthur (2009) writers need to "set goals, integrate the many cognitive and social processes involved, and monitor their own success." When we ask a student to write we are expecting them to:
MacArthur (2009) attributes the following characteristics about writing for students whose learning disabilities consists of “less knowledge about writing, less skill with language, substantial difficulties with spelling and handwriting, and less effective strategies for writing." When looking at samples of LD student's writing, the reader will notice misspelled words, sentences lacking detail, haphazard organization, and shorter pieces. As stated by Harris and Graham (2012) when students with LD write there is "little effort is made to evaluate or rework these ideas...or the organization of the text. The resulting composition is generally a list of topic related ideas rather than a coherent discussion..."(P.406).
Unfortunately over the years writing instruction centered around product, rather then process. In Because Writing Matters by the National Writing Project & Nagin (2003) writing was “product centered and print based; that is, it focused on the finished exemplar of student work (P. 6).” Even many students with LD have come to believe that writing is making the paper look neat or having everything spelled correctly. Santangelo, Harris & Graham (2007), reported that “when asked to describe good writing, students with learning disabilities responded, “Spell every word right,” “Write as neat as you can," “Put your date and name on there,” and “Be sure to hold your pencil right” (P.3).
This is an alarming view of the writing process given that Hillocks (1995) views writing as an inquiry “process of digging through superficial abstraction to get at the details that reveal the meaning of experience, not only to the reader but to the writer.’ (P. 11). Writing is so much more then punctuation, paragraphs, and pretty words. Rather it is a way in by which writers communicate with the world and with others. The National Commission on Writing in their report The Neglected "R", (2003) eloquently describes this shift from product to process, "While exercises in descriptive, creative, and narrative writing help develop students’ skills, writing is best understood as a complex intellectual activity that requires students to stretch their minds, sharpen their analytical capabilities, and make valid and accurate distinctions" (P. 51). Writing has moved beyond the rigid model of draft, revise, edit, repeat. Writing “requires students to move beyond rote learning and simply reproducing information, facts, dates, and formulae (National Writing Project & Nagin. P. 23). In their groundbreaking work Flower and Hayes (1981) describe writing as a cognitive process in which students fluidly move throughout the stages of the writing process. A student will revise while writing, not write a complete draft and then go back to revise their writing.
What implications does writing instruction have for students with learning disabilities? If writing is an inquiry process, based on cognitive processing, and rooted in codifying oral language; the question remains how do we address the needs of students who have difficulty with cognitive processing and language in general? To address these issues, I would suggest two different approaches that supplement writing instruction in the classroom. These two approaches , SRSD and sentence combining, are researched validated methods proven to produce results in students with LD. The following pages will examine these processes and strategies as well as offer suggestions for classroom application.